A/N: Hey guys! Thanks a bunch for the reviews, you're all awesome! Oh, and a warning: if you want a spoiler (it was on Facebook, I'll be honest), skip to the bottom. Well, read first! I'll underline it so you know where it is if you'd prefer to wait.
Ziva watched across the bullpen at the two arguing men that entered early that Tuesday morning. As usual, Tony made a comment about the fact that he had a life and McGee didn't…it was nothing out of the ordinary. Still, it darkened her day just a little to see it.
"I do not like seeing you two fight," she told the two, as they separated.
It was true. Others may say she and McGee had a brother-sister relationship, but she never quite understood that. After all, her upbringing had been very different to those who had that opinion. He was, however, one of her closest friends, and Tony was, well, Tony. She needn't dwell on that.
McGee strolled over to his desk to find a package. Intrigued, anxious and confused all at once, he decided to open it and spare himself the suspense.
All of them were shocked when an inflatable hula dancer popped out of the box. Ziva simply raised her eyebrows in amusement, and jumped when the inflatable did, to hit Tim in the face.
McGee was not sure what to say. He certainly hadn't expected this. He would have sooner expected a disembodied head, or like Tony, antibiotic-resistant Y-pestis, sent to him in the mail before this. "Um…" was all he said before looking accusingly at Tony who, if he was guilty, was doing a wonderful job of hiding it. "That's real funny, Tony."
The accused man just laughed. "You think I did this?" he asked. Although, he had given his co-workers a fair amount of reason to think that. Ziva seemed to agree.
"I would not put it past you," she said, still a little fixated on the doll. Of all the strange things to send in the mail, why this?
"Guys!" Tony said in a high voice. "Come on, a little credit, please. I've grown past this sophomore stuff." He grabbed the doll and moved it around in its box. "I mean, who would do something so genius? McGee with a plastic girlfriend."
Tony turned to the younger man with a serious expression and continued, "Congratulations, Tim, she's very sweet," to which Ziva smiled.
When they found out McGee's credit card details were attached, Ziva advised him to cancel his card.
"Now all I need to do is figure out how to deflate this," he said.
Tony reached over expertly. "Oh, that's easy. There's always a button right here on the back of the neck…" He reached around to find the button when he froze, feeling both Ziva's and McGee's gaze on him. He looked back at the Israeli. "There's no reason I should know that."
She smiled once more, knowing there was probably plenty of reasons for him to know that.
…
"I'll look for the owner," Ziva said in a professional manner when they walked in the door of the bar.
Tony sniffed. "Ah, I love the smell of fresh felt in the morning," he said, making a movie reference that he thought even Ziva would get.
"I do not know what that means," she said, and pointing out that she obviously didn't get the reference, "I do not think I want to."
The two approached some oddly-coloured pool tables, set out very neatly, ready for a game to start.
"It's a little Apocalypse Now reference, but never mind," he said, without the heart to explain it. "I was talking about pool tables; traditionally green…for some reason these are red."
Tony stood at the top of one of the tables, examining it, while Ziva circled them.
"I did not know you were a pool dolphin, Tony," she said, looking quite serious as she usually did when she messed up an idiom.
Tony picked up the pool rack and twirled it a few times in his hands. "It's pool shark," he corrected, feeling good to do so, as she did not mess up as much anymore. It was the 'Old Ziva', one he sometimes missed. "And yes, I was a champion at my Baltimore precinct in the late nineties."
Ziva's eyes widened. "Late nineties?" Tony tried as he often did to read her voice. Either she was shocked, or was trying to wind him up. Or both.
She laughed heartily. "That makes you sound so—"
"What?" he cut her off, holding two pool balls in his hand. "Old? Please don't say old."
"I didn't say it, you did," she replied smartly, the smile on her face showing she was once again amused.
Tony put the pool balls down, knowing he was beaten, at least as far as their usual banter concerned. It looked like today he was going to be the one to deliver the blow that hurt a little.
"I bet Renaissance Ray wouldn't even know his way around a pool table," he defended.
Why did he have to bring Ray into this? It was his only leverage over Ziva, and he wasn't even sure it could be classified as leverage. It certainly didn't make him look any better from Ziva's point of view.
She just laughed again, but this time it wasn't quite as happy. She hated to be reminded by Tony of Ray. It shattered their little world they had when they were together. Things with him had gone past concerned and were distancing into jealous. She was beginning to feel a little apprehensive about the whole situation. She hoped dearly this wouldn't be a repeat of what happened with Michael. She hated to think about it, but she had a fair bit recently, especially since Tony's behaviour was following the same pattern. She was, however, of the belief that she had convinced Tony that Ray was a good man. Although he probably wouldn't believe that unless they had met, and before he had met Ziva, so his feelings, whatever they may be and God forbid he ever announce them, would not get in the way.
"You know, Tony, you do not wear jealousy very well," she said. "It makes your face look all—" she made a hand gesture "—pinchy."
"Pinched," he said, working up a defence in his head until he heard laughter. It was the owner.
He smiled in a friendly manner at the two agents. "Oh, I know a bickering couple when I hear one," he said.
Although Tony was quick to introduce himself, and Ziva as a probationary agent as that was still her official title, he did not deny that they were not a couple. He thought he would leave that to Ziva, who was probably already very irritated at him. This was probably why she got along better with McGee, but sometimes Tony just couldn't help himself.
"And we are not a couple," Ziva told the man, right on cue.
"Could've fooled me," he replied, smiling.
OK, it was a little funny when they were not in the middle of a stupid fight (which lately Ziva had the feeling could actually go somewhere, not necessarily in a good direction, if they were left uninterrupted for more than a few minutes), but Ziva was getting a little tired of denying her relationship with Tony. First was that DA, who just wanted to go out with Tony, then Jerry, their Petty Officer from a case the month before, and now this man. She had heard from McGee that DiNozzo Senior had asked Tony about their relationship and even Nora Williams, their witness from Paris almost a year ago, had had her suspicions about the two. It was getting more frequent and, to be honest, a little ridiculous. Nevertheless, each time someone said it she got a new image in her head of them as a couple, at a park or lunch. And sometimes, she dared to think that maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing ever.
A/N: Reviews? I had a fair bit to say, today. AND…drumroll please, here is your spoiler…it's a total shocker if you haven't heard it!
Sound the alarm, someone's trespassing on Tiva!
NCIS has tapped former Brothers & Sisters actress Sarah Jane Morris to join the cast for a major arc, sources confirm to me exclusively.
Jane will play Erica Jane "EJ" Barrett, a new NCIS agent who shakes up the team dynamic and sets off sparks with Michael Weatherly's Tony.
Morris' first episode is slated to air this spring.
Of course a bunch of idiots thought CBS were being stupid and mistyping 'Ziva'. Seriously? And you call yourself an NCIS fan? Right. I mean I get that not everyone supports it but at least they know what it is.
My opinion: although many are anxious and upset by this casting decision, as they are afraid it will mess up a) Tiva altogether and b) the team dynamic and c) possibly the whole show. I think we should give EJ a chance to wow us. I mean, some people hated Ziva when she came on the show because they loved Kate and now they like her, so you never know. Besides, while Shane Brennan is, as Betherzz put it, 'anti-Tiva', I don't believe he would ever close a door without opening a window. Think about Jeanne and Michael. There were some big moments, both during and after those relationships. I'd love to hear your opinion, though.